Can you twist a trees trunk?

[19Mateo83]

@lieuz has a couple examples of beautyberry saplings that have been bound together then twisted that eventually creates something similar. If you twisted a young deciduous sapling, would the sap flow eventually straighten out as the tree was grown out, or keep the original twist?

I think I may have to try this, if it’s twisted as a seedling would the tree have the twist throughout its entire life. I would really like to twist an Osage. They look fantastic with the twisted bark.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I wish I had pics.....At my parents' previous house a tornado passed nearby and twisted a mature Japanese maple. It did indeed split the wood to do it. I drilled and bolted it together in several places and it survived, healed the trunk and grow over the bolts. I can help but think about the surprise someone will get some day when trying to cut that tree down.

It's amazing how trees can compartmentalize...I've a Wisteria a bolt nut and washer from a storm. But I think the previous winters cold spell...weakened it. It had dieback...and it's declining now. It has fungus mushrooms over a large part of it now. But it held together for many years.

 

[Cadillactaste]

That section I posted is really the only section where the twisting is really noticeable.

View attachment 537023View attachment 537024View attachment 537025

Gnarly piece... I dig the scars.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Dumb idea... maybe turn the tree slowly during the growing period year after year, always in the same direction, and maybe only in higher or lower latitudes?

 

[19Mateo83]

Dumb idea... maybe turn the tree slowly during the growing period year after year, always in the same direction, and maybe only in higher or lower latitudes?

That is actually one of the theories I’ve heard about how the natural twist occurs, the tree grows to follow the light.

 

[penumbra]

Dumb idea... maybe turn the tree slowly during the growing period year after year, always in the same direction, and maybe only in higher or lower latitudes?

Not dumb at all I just can't think of a practical way to do it. Another impractical idea would be to grow the tree under a stress of twisting.

 

[Shibui]

Definitely possible to twist trunk or branches but it needs to be done early before the wood hardens too much. Depends how flexible the species is and the length of the twist but I can usually get 180 degrees out of most trees. Younger junipers can go several complete turns along an 8"-10" whip.

Twisting while bending is a great way to get more bend without snapping the wood. I routinely twist as I bend when trying for tight bends or where I know the wood is likely to snap.
Twisting a branch can bring secondary branches into better alignment. If you have secondary branching in the vertical plane, twist 90 deg to get those to horizontal.

 

[ShadyStump]

I made a post asking this exact question quite some time ago, and the only answer I got was the fused bundles of saplings thing. I intend to try just gradually twisting a sapling some time, but honestly forgot about the notion until now. My thought was to place vertical posts around the pot, and then somehow attach a horizontal beam to the tree trunk. Apply pressure to the beam to twist the trunk, and lock it in place against the posts. Depending on the tree and the thickness of the trunk you could adjust it a couple times a year.

@Wulfskaar's allusion to vast changes in lighting direction is novel, though. Maybe grow out a tree in a large container left in one place, but give the container a quarter turn with every flush of new growth.
It would take a VERY long time to see any results that way, so applying some added mechanical pressure would help.

 

[Dogestoevsky]

Twisting while bending is a great way to get more bend without snapping the wood. I routinely twist as I bend when trying for tight bends or where I know the wood is likely to snap.

This is my experience as well — even if the intention is not to add extreme twisting, the addition of the turning motion (in the direction that would tighten the wire coil) distributes the force of the bend along the whole section rather than just one spot. It also tightens the wire, improving the leverage!

 

[Cajunrider]

I made a post asking this exact question quite some time ago, and the only answer I got was the fused bundles of saplings thing. I intend to try just gradually twisting a sapling some time, but honestly forgot about the notion until now. My thought was to place vertical posts around the pot, and then somehow attach a horizontal beam to the tree trunk. Apply pressure to the beam to twist the trunk, and lock it in place against the posts. Depending on the tree and the thickness of the trunk you could adjust it a couple times a year.

@Wulfskaar's allusion to vast changes in lighting direction is novel, though. Maybe grow out a tree in a large container left in one place, but give the container a quarter turn with every flush of new growth.
It would take a VERY long time to see any results that way, so applying some added mechanical pressure would help.

I am all about mechanical pressure and fast results. Twisted BCs will be done. Tune in on my BC study in the coming weeks.

 

[19Mateo83]

I am all about mechanical pressure and fast results. Twisted BCs will be done. Tune in on my BC study in the coming weeks.

I was hoping you would hop onboard this train

 

[Wulfskaar]

What about just using scarring to make the illusion of a twist?

 

[Japonicus]

Water maples I think they are, twist and make for strenuous exercise splitting for firewood.
It is very difficult and not for the faint of heart folks that use mechanical splitters.
A couple of weeks ago I wired 3 Mt Maples. The one on the left was twisted more than the other two. It must have been on the cusp of too far as it significantly slowed leafing out. It will soon.

There's no reason time and growing would cause the twist to straighten out unless unwired now before it sets.

 

[Shibui]

The one on the left was twisted more than the other two. It must have been on the cusp of too far as it significantly slowed leafing out.

Beware of any bending when the sap is flowing strong. At that stage the bark is easily lifted causing disruption to circulation. Usually junipers are singled out as very prone to damage if bent during spring growing period but I've had similar damage on many species. Much safer to avoid the growing season when making significant bends.

Once set the twist will not unwind but you'll be surprised at how much a trunk will straighten as it thickens. Straightening is not because the trunk unbends. It is because trunks thicken more on the inside of bends when sap takes the shortest path from roots to branches. Gradually the bends soften and the trunk appears straighter even though the core still has the same bend inside.

What about just using scarring to make the illusion of a twist?

This also works. I've carved a spiral in the trunks of junipers. Sap flow adjusts to flow along the intact bark then only the live section thickens which ends up looking like a spiral trunk.

 

[ShadyStump]

Once set the twist will not unwind but you'll be surprised at how much a trunk will straighten as it thickens. Straightening is not because the trunk unbends. It is because trunks thicken more on the inside of bends when sap takes the shortest path from roots to branches. Gradually the bends soften and the trunk appears straighter even though the core still has the same bend inside.

It seems this phenomenon might actually help the effort in some ways.
Does the bark grain continue to grow in the direction of the bends? I suppose it would depend on the species and maturity of the tree at stages of the process.

No shortage of Siberian elms around here, so I guess I can start playing with it.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have seen a number examples over the year of seedlings that have been joined, twisted, fused, etc, in an attempt to quickly create taper or spiraling, twisting trunks. I can't say that I have seen any that have been convincingly more successful than developing a similar tree with styling and aggressive sacrifice growth. In the earlier example in this thread of the trident maple Bjorn had for a few years - that tree was initially created 40 years ago by fusing seedlings. Could you achieve the same thing given 40 years of aggressive trident development? You can grow a pretty big trident maple in 40 years

Time for another contest!

 

[ShadyStump]

I was just looking at a couple elms of mine (Chinese and Siberian) and noticed that in a couple spots there's trunk movement from branches lost and replaced by new leaders that looks like it could be going in the twisted direct. We're looking at it from the wrong angle, literally.
Essentially it's trunk development as normal, but you look at it from a vertical, top down POV. Trunk chops like usual but aim to build a pyramid one face at a time in stead of a nice front.
So, cut and grow at the right stages/timing of development should send it spiraling, in a good way. Then as @Shibui said about the trunk naturally filling in the actual curves, you'll be left eventually with something more resembling the twisted trunk.

Not sure why I'm obsessing over this this morning, but I am, and I'm ok with it.

 

[PonderingSage:]

Maybe the approach where a bunch of smaller trees(from cutting/airlayers) are twisted together, then over time fuse. I know folks were doing this over a frame with Trident Maples to get that wizard hat style.
Oops, looks like bnut beat me to it